Klinsmann had some key successes during his tenure with the U.S. National Team, including leading the USMNT to a record 12-game winning streak in 2013, helping the squad advance out of the Group of Death in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and coaching the team to a fourth place finish at the Copa America in 2016.

But the USA also struggled in key moments under Klinsmann, who was hired in 2011 and went on to compile a 55-27-16 record at the helm. The USMNT flamed out of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and opened the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final Qualifying Round in historically bad fashion last week.

After the most recent losses to Mexico and Costa Rica, both analysts and fans started clamoring for Klinsmann to be removed as head coach. Klinsmann responded by telling the New York Times that the talk was from "people who don't understand soccer or the team."

Following Monday's announcement, Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson said it was "100 percent" the right decision for U.S. Soccer to move on from Klinsmann.

"Glad USSF made the move and hoping the USMNT can start to make forward progress again," Paulson said. "The talent is there now for far better showings and I think the pool will deepen and strengthen over the coming two years... Jurgen is a lovely guy and was helpful when we hired Caleb (Porter), so I will always owe him for that, but unfortunately I think it's 100 percent the right decision."

U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati discussed the decision to part ways with Klinsmann in a statement Monday:

Today we made the difficult decision of parting ways with Jurgen Klinsmann, our head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team and Technical Director.

We want to thank Jurgen for his hard work and commitment during these last five years. He took pride in having the responsibility of steering the program, and there were considerable achievements along the way.

Many are aware of the historic victories, including leading us out of the Group of Death to the Round of 16 in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but there were also lesser publicized efforts behind the scenes. He challenged everyone in the U.S. Soccer community to think about things in new ways, and thanks to his efforts we have grown as an organization and expect there will be benefits from his work for years to come.

While we remain confident that we have quality players to help us advance to Russia 2018, the form and growth of the team up to this point left us convinced that we need to go in a different direction. With the next Qualifying match in late March, we have several months to refocus the group and determine the best way forward to ensure a successful journey to qualify for our eighth-consecutive World Cup.

There has never been a greater time for soccer in this country, and with the support and efforts of the millions of fans, sponsors, media and friends, we look forward to continued progress in the game we all love.